Impressive Donegal a coming force under McGuinness

Jim McGuinness is proving in his second coming with Donegal that a rising tide lifts all boats.

A Donegal side beaten by Down in last year’s Ulster Championship and defeated by Tyrone by eight points in the All-Ireland series is now a team transformed.

Having McGuinness on the sideline has the belief pulsing through these same Donegal players who next play Armagh in an Ulster Final on 12 May.

Sunday’s extra-time win over Tyrone was McGuinness’ 15th win out of 16 games in the Ulster Championship, and one to savour.

“This is why it’s so amazing to win in the Ulster Championship – because this is what you face every single week and this is why players love playing in it,” he said.

“If you can eventually get over the line, you’ve earned it.”

While Tyrone led for most of the game, there was always a sense in the second half of normal time that Donegal were ‘coming’.

Once it went to extra time the tired bodies of Tyrone, who had gone through 90 plus minutes the previous week against Cavan, were always going to struggle but it was the closing moments of normal time which were key as Donegal worked the equalising score through Brendan McCole.

“There were so many moments in that game where it could have fallen either way,” said McGuinness.

“Tyrone were brilliant in terms of gameplan and just kept the ball very well.

“They were patient themselves and played like a team that won the All-Ireland a few years ago.

“They had the smarts to know what the game is all about and are good enough to come into this type of environment and play that type of game. Niall Morgan was exceptional.

“They asked a lot of questions and sometimes you have to suck it up and find a way to try and respond and our decision-making started to improve.

“I just felt we must find a way, we must find a way.

“The longer the game went on, the more confident I felt that we could get over the line. We will were still making some bad decisions and moving in the right direction and I just felt that something would fall for us eventually."

Jim McGuinness was mobbed by jubilant Donegal fans after Sunday's win over Tyrone

Ticket scramble begins for Ulster Final

The 2013 Ulster Final defeat by Monaghan remains the only game McGuinness has lost in the provincial championship he holds so dear.

In his first spell in charge, his four-year reign resulted in Ulster titles in 2012, 2012 and 2014 and the All-Ireland in 2012.

Now he brings Donegal back to Clones, a venue he loves, for the first time in 10 years to face an Armagh side which like Donegal enjoys a huge travelling support.

The ticket scramble for tickets will already have begun in earnest for what is a guaranteed sellout at St Tiernach's Park.

'Two weeks will feel like three months'

Donegal recently defeated Armagh in the Division Two Final in Croke Park.

Asked whether he felt being in Division Two this year is any impediment to what Donegal can achieve this summer, McGuinness replied: “well we were Division Two champions in 2011 as well and we won Ulster so we won’t be thinking that way”.

“Two weeks will feel like three months for us now in terms of preparation for this one and a lot of our analysis is already one because we have already played them twice.

“We are not starting from zero.

“We didn’t play Tyrone this year in the league so we have an opportunity now to quickly get up to speed with Armagh but obviously that works both ways.

“It has given us a brilliant opportunity now and hopefully we can take it.”